Sachs said he was pleased to hear Clinton's speech respond to CID's work.

"Not a lot of U.S. politics is focused on the problems of a lot of people in the world," he said. "It's pleasant when it happens. We're a powerful country and we can do a lot of good when we turn our attention to it."

CID, a research-oriented center started in July 1998, is one of the University's main institutions for international development studies. Its older sibling, the HIID, will soon be dissolved.

That decision followed an extensive review by a University-wide task force, who cited HIID's failure to adequately integrate its activities into Harvard's mission of teaching and research.

HIID has been the target of national media attention over the past few years as a result of a U.S. Justice Department investigation into a project in Russia. Two HIID team members there were accused of using their knowledge of and connections to the Russian economy to aid private investors.

The investigation has not yet concluded. Sachs was not implicated in the scandal.